While it's important to build those skills, it can also be helpful to give kids a visual aid - a little reminder to use while they're rounding numbers. With my own kids and students, I have always used the analogy of a hill or rainbow - my daughter's math book even uses an umbrella with raindrops dripping off the sides!
Of course, it's great to know the rule of "4 and below, rounds down. 5 and up, round up", but it's also important to show kids VISUALLY why that is. A great tool I love to use to show this is money. Telling students, "I have 27 dollars. Is that closer to 20 dollars or 30?" always seems to work great!
Another great tip is to use a number line first. Show kids visually that 26 is closer to 30 than 20.
Of course, practice is always the best way to get those rounding skills down! You can use this math center along with included worksheets to practice. I'll also be adding a few new rounding sets this week - so stay tuned! There are plenty of free rounding games and tips you can find online too.
I made this math aid and worksheet set especially for kids (like my own little one) who struggle with the concept of rounding. It is also a great poster to hang in your classroom or homeschool space.
This FREE set includes:
- A Poster
- A Math Center
- 5 Worksheets
